


Goodnight, Goodbye

by aretia



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, Terminal Illnesses, Thace and Ulaz survive the war AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-06
Updated: 2018-10-06
Packaged: 2019-07-25 20:28:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16205078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aretia/pseuds/aretia
Summary: Thace and Ulaz enjoy their well-deserved retirement after the war. When Thace's health begins to fade, he tries to reassure Ulaz on what could be their last night together. Ulaz isn't ready to say goodbye.





	Goodnight, Goodbye

**Author's Note:**

> My work for the Voltron Rarepair Flash Bang!  
> Art by calibratingentropy which you can find [here!](http://calibratingentropy.tumblr.com/post/178775573173/i-had-the-opportunity-to-also-illustrate-a-fic-for)  
> Beta: Revasnaslan

“Thace, are you awake?” Ulaz asked. His voice was the only sound besides the rain tapping on the roof of the house as he stepped into the dimly lit bedroom. 

Thace responded with a twitch of his ear. He was lying on his side, facing away from Ulaz, listening to the rain. Ulaz climbed into the bed behind him and wrapped his arms around Thace’s waist. Receptive to the touch, Thace turned towards him. 

“Hi, Ulaz,” he said, his voice hoarse from sleep. 

“How are you feeling?” Ulaz asked softly. “Are you in pain?”

“No, no pain,” Thace replied, shaking his head. “Just tired.”

There was a side effect of the Galra being steeped in quintessence for so long. Once the Galra Empire shut down its distribution of quintessence, all Galra reached a point in their lives when their bodies would begin to rapidly weaken. For some reason, the disease had sunk its claws into Thace first. Quintessence was still available in small amounts to temporarily alleviate the illness, but Thace had refused it, and so the only remedy was to make Thace comfortable at home and wait for the inevitable. Ulaz wasn’t satisfied with that solution, but he did his best not to let his frustration show around Thace. 

“You just woke up from a nap,” Ulaz said with a chuckle. “Am I that exhausting to be around?”

Thace laughed in response, and accidentally snorted out the breathing tube in his nostrils. Ulaz helped slip it back into place. Then, as quickly as it had appeared, Thace’s smile faded. He turned his head back to the window, watching the raindrops run down the glass.

Ulaz’s fingers grazed along Thace’s chin, turning his head to face him. “What’s wrong, Thace?” He stroked the fur on Thace’s ears, and Thace arched into his touch, rewarding him with a gentle purr. 

“I’m going to miss this,” Thace murmured. “I’ll miss you when I’m gone…”

“Now, Thace, there’s no need for that,” said Ulaz, shifting towards Thace and pulling him closer to his chest. “We’re going to cure you, I promise, dear.”

“We can’t,” Thace argued. “The doctors already said that they don’t have a cure. And… I can feel it, Ulaz. Every day, I can feel myself fading away. I think my time is coming soon.” 

Ulaz’s fingers cradled Thace’s cheek, tracing over scars and wrinkles, none of which detracted from Thace’s beauty. “Don’t say that, my love,” Ulaz whispered, his voice cracking. “I need you. I can’t go on without you.” 

“You will, Ulaz. And you have,” said Thace. “You endured our time apart when we were undercover, and we never knew if we would survive to see each other again…”

“But at least then I had the hope that you would come back to me,” Ulaz sniffled, trying to maintain his composure while tears began to roll down his cheeks. “If you leave now, you’re never coming back.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Thace said, lifting his trembling hand to wipe the tears from Ulaz’s face. “I will always be with you.”

“I know that,” said Ulaz. He leaned into Thace’s comforting touch. “But after we’ve been together for so long, I just can’t let you go.”

“You’ve already made me the happiest man in the universe by spending your life with me,” Thace said, pressing his forehead against Ulaz’s and rubbing their noses together. “If my body weren’t so weak, I would love to dance with you one last time.”

They used to dance every night in their small house on Olkarion, Thace singing along to the music and resting his head on Ulaz’s shoulder. For thirty years since the war had ended and they retired from the Blade, that had been their tradition. At least, it had until Thace had fallen ill. 

“You are not weak, Thace,” Ulaz said. “I miss dancing too, but my favorite moments have always been when I’m lying here in bed with you.” 

“I feel the same way,” Thace sighed contentedly. “I could fall asleep right now…”

“Of course. You need your rest,” Ulaz agreed. A good night’s sleep would restore his strength, and hopefully get him out of his morbid mindset.

“So do you,” said Thace. He was always so perceptive, and so caring. Ulaz had been worrying himself to the bone the past few days about Thace’s condition, and Thace must have been able to see it in the creases on his face. 

“Sleep well, Thace. I love you,” Ulaz said, his voice soft with adoration.

“Goodnight, Ulaz,” Thace replied. “I love you always. Never forget that.”

Thace snuggled close to Ulaz, under the crook of his arm. Ulaz wrapped his arm around Thace’s shoulders, lying on his back so that Thace could rest against his side. Ulaz pulled the blanket up to Thace’s chin and kissed his forehead. Thace smiled as his eyelids drifted shut. 

Ulaz wanted to stay awake and watch over Thace. He reminded himself that they were safe. This wasn’t one of their field missions in the Blade where one of them always had to keep watch, and it was only his military instincts urging him to stay up. Still, he couldn’t bear the thought of Thace slipping away in his sleep. Every time Thace snored, Ulaz worried that he might stop breathing. His hand hovered over Thace’s shoulder to shake him awake, until Thace’s breath evened out again and Ulaz relaxed. 

Thace’s sleepy purr rumbled deep in his chest and resonated through Ulaz’s body. Ulaz nuzzled closer, soothed by the familiar sound. His drooping eyelids betrayed him. The sound of the rain against the window and Thace’s purring lulled him into drowsiness, and in a few ticks, Ulaz gave in to exhaustion and dozed off at Thace’s side. 

~

Ulaz awoke with a start. He hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but he had needed the rest more than he realized. He glanced over at Thace, whose eyes were still closed, looking serene under the golden light of the late morning. His brow was relaxed and he was smiling, like he was enjoying a pleasant dream. 

Ulaz smiled back, and ran his fingers along Thace’s cheek. “Morning, my love,” he whispered. Only silence answered him. If Thace wanted to sleep in, he had every right to get as much rest as he needed, but it was unusual for him not to wake up to the sound of Ulaz’s voice. The silence drew on, and Ulaz noticed that he couldn’t hear Thace’s breathing.

He bolted upright, flinging the covers aside. “Thace? Thace, wake up,” Ulaz pleaded, panic taking root in his chest. Fingers pressed against Thace’s neck yielded only cool flesh, no sign of a pulse. 

“ _No!_ ” Ulaz screamed in despair. He pulled Thace’s head against his chest and rocked back and forth while the tears started to come. It couldn’t be. Thace couldn’t be gone. 

Ulaz gritted his teeth and hissed. If he had only stayed awake, he might have been able to save him. He could have had one more day with Thace, felt his touch, heard his voice one last time. Even that wouldn’t be enough. He would never be ready to let go.

Thace had been trying to say goodbye. He had wanted Ulaz to rest, to loosen his grip for long enough that he could slip away. 

“Why, Thace?” Ulaz gasped. “Why would you leave me?”

Thace’s head rested in Ulaz’s lap, still looking so peaceful. They could have died in the war, separated, never knowing the other’s fate. But instead, Thace had died in Ulaz’s arms with a smile on his face. Ulaz had gotten to spend decades with Thace in a peaceful world, enjoying the future they’d fought for and making up for lost time. 

Thace had spent his last moments in this life with Ulaz. His last words echoed in Ulaz’s mind. _Love you always. Never forget that._

And Ulaz never would. He would hold on to the memory of Thace, until the day he felt Thace’s arms around him again, leading him into the light.


End file.
